Though Pariksit Maharaj understood the meaning of Sukadeva’s words, noticing the doubt on some of the faces of the materialistic men in the assembly, to remove their doubts he asks this question. "Oh muni , one who knows everything! the gopis knew Krsna, the parama purusa (param) as their lover, not as Brahman or God. Thinking of Krsna in a material way (guna dhiya), how could they become purified of the gunas. The upanisads say, tam eva viditva atimrtum eti (knowing him one surpasses death) atmanam atmataya vicaksate ( one sees the Lord by the pure soul.) Such statements in sruti and smrti indicate that knowledge of paramatma is necessary for liberation."

Parīkṣit means “he who sees with complete vision (pari),” or “he who knows the sentiments of everyone.” Even though he knows the glories of the gopīs, he expresses doubt in order to dispel the doubts of other intimate devotees. He expresses doubt like a person propounding brahma-jṣāna in order to dispel another doubt of the material doubters. Some versions have rājovaca. Rāja (king) also indicates a person who can perceive everyone’s sentiments. Śukadeva will answer. The meaning of Parīkṣit’s words as meant for external people is easily understood: how could the gopīs who thought of Kṛṣṇa in terms of material guṇas rather than thinking of Brahman without guṇas, give up material guṇas? The internal meaning for the devotees is this. It was said that these gopīs gave up their guṇa-maya bodies. If this means they gave up their bodies which were transformations of the three material guṇas, why should the despicable bodies which by their nature were anyway composed of guṇas be particularly designated as “made of the three guṇas?” As an alternative, one should rather say that they gave up bodies profoundly (maya) endowed with good mental qualities. The present verse asks this by saying “since they thought of the Lord as their lover, not Brahman.” Or, since they are designated as having bodies made of the three guṇas in contrast to their later condition with spiritual bodies, the phrase “composed of guṇas” indicates that they would attain bodies with good mental qualities in their spiritual bodies similar those of their previous bodies. They knew only Kṛṣṇa as their lover, who was excellent because of having all astonishing, attractive qualities. They did not know him as Brahman, a manifestation with no qualities. Their minds were absorbed in his wonderful qualities (guṇa-dhiyām), while rejecting absorption in Brahman. They had spiritual qualities (guṇa) because the qualities of prema arising from absorption in his qualities. They could give up material bodies, but how was it possible for them to give up spiritual qualities in those bodies? Kṛṣṇa appeared to them with all qualities, not just some experience of bliss, devoid of qualities, though that is claimed by the worshippers of Brahman. For worshippers of Brahman, guṇas refers only to material guṇas like sattva. According to them, it is possible to give such qualities. They do not consider the appearance of the spiritual qualities of the Lord. Another meaning can be as follows. Since they knew Kṛṣṇa only as their lover and not with his all-pervading nature as Brahman, and he did not appear within their houses since his pervading nature could not manifest, how could they give up the waves of suffering in separation (guṇa-pravaha) from his association? This is according to the reasoning that the Lord responds according to the nature of the worship. (BG 4.11) Guṇa-dhiyām means “the gopīs who thought of his qualities like beauty and cleverness.” O omniscient sage (mune)!

Parīkṣit means he who, endowed with wealth (śrī), examines others. He asked for the benefit of others, not out of ignorance, not out of doubt. The gopīs knew Kṛṣṇa only (param) as their husband, or as a beautiful person (kāntam), or only as their illicit lover. With their intellects focused on his qualities (guṇa-dhiyām) like beauty, sweetness, skill and compassion, not on tattva, how could they destroy saṁsāra (guṇa-pravāha)? How could they get liberation, the crown jewel of human goals? Tam eva viditvātimṛtyum eti: knowing that, one achieves immortality. (Śvetāśvatāra Upaniṣad 3.8) One destroys saṁsāra by knowing the truth (tattva) about the Lord. Liberation is rare, being the best of all. Or the lover of the gopīs would also have to consider what was mentioned in the scriptures about liberation. Or they knew Kṛṣṇa as the dearest, most attractive lover (param kāntam). Thus their minds were absorbed in his qualities like beauty, sweetness, skill and anurāga, not his svarūpa. How could they, the dear lovers of the Lord, who are served by devotees who deride liberation, attain utterly useless liberation? How could they attain liberation when they considered it most insignificant? O omniscient sage (mune)! You know all about this. You can remove the doubt. nātha yoni-sahasreṣu yeṣu yeṣu bhramāmy aham tatra tatrācyutā bhaktir acyutāstu dṛḍhā tvayi Wherever I may wander, O master, among thousands of species of life, in each situation may I have firmly fixed devotion to You, O Acyuta. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa) nāhaṁ brahmāpi bhūyāsaṁ tvad-bhakti-rahito hare tvayi bhaktas tu kīṭo ’pi bhūyāsaṁ janma-janmasu I do not aspire to take birth as a Brahmā if that Brahmā is not a devotee of the Lord. I shall be satisfied simply to take birth as an insect if I am given a chance to remain in the house of a devotee. Nārāyaṇa-vyūha-stava Since the devotees pray for birth in order to increase bhakti, it is improper to stop saṁsāra characterized by birth. Giving up a material body meant for nourishing bhakti out of disgust to accept a spiritual body is not proper. They were aware of his spiritual qualities (guṇa-dhiyam). How could they give up their bodies having a host of qualities like beauty (guṇa-pravāha) which satisified the Lord? They would have to consider their bodies unsuitable for the Lord’s service. Or they gave them up because of unbearable suffering. But it was not proper to give up those bodies. Or though their minds were absorbed in Kṛṣnā’s qualities like his beauty and fragrance or the rāsa dance (guṇa-dhiyām), how could they give up the recurrence or ever freshness of special good fortune of the rāsa dance, or living in Vraja, in Vṛndāvana like other gopīs (guṇa-pravāha)? What could be accomplished by giving up bodies filled with all good qualities pleasing to Kṛṣṇa? Or if they decided to give up their bodies out of lack of intelligence, how could that really occur, since their very natures were in such bodies?